Safety razor with adjustable guards



ay 14, 1968 R. L. KARR I SAFETY RAZOR WI'I H ADJUSTABLE GUARDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11, 1966 2 v wiu m m W I 9 T S a s M 4, m R 5 N M R m s 1( w v fiamn w" 3 /Z HM 2: 0 A a 6 Wu W 4 2 l NINTH? m V so 50 I8 y 4, 1968 R. L. KARR 3,382,576

SAFETY RAZOR WITH ADJUSTABLE GUARDS Filed April 11, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,382,576 SAFETY RAZOR WITH ADJUSTABLE GUARDS Robert L. Karr, 1915 Winslow Ave., Terre Haute, Ind. 47805 Filed Apr. 11, 1966, Ser. No. 541,720 6 Claims. (Cl. 30-605) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A safety razor having a pair of vertically spaced plates mounted on a handle with a pair of laterally movable guards carried therebetween. Means are provided for mounting a blade on one of said plates and means are also provided for moving said guards laterally outwardly and inwardly with respect to said plates and blade for controlling the exposure of the blade edges.

This invention relates to a safety razor, and more particularly to an adjustable safety razor for use with double edged blades.

It is an object of the invention to provide a safety razor which can be easily adjusted for adjusting the blade edge exposure, which can effect such adjustment without changing the blade angle, and which can be easily manipulated for cleaning and blade changing.

In accordance with the preferred form of the invention, there is provided a handle having a pair of vertically spaced plates mounted on its upper end; the upper one of said plates being adapted to support a conventional double edged blade thereon. A pair of guards are slidably received between said pair of plates and project laterally outwardly from between a pair of opposed edges on said plates to support the edges of the blade. Each of said guards is connected by a flexible strip projecting through the lower one of said pair of plates to a sleeve vertically movable on the handle. Thus, movement of said sleeve along the handle will cause the strips to move the guards outwardly or inwardly with respect to said pair of plates for adjusting the exposure of the blade edges.

A blade guide extends longitudinally of the upper plate for locating the blade thereon. Said guide is connected at its ends to a pair of pivot bars disposed at the ends of the razor and pivotally supporting a pair of opposed cover plates movable between an operative position overlying the upper plate for holding the blade thereon and a retracted position projecting upwardly from said upper plate. Means are provided on the handle for effecting movement of the blade guide and pivot bars with respect to the pair of plates for moving the pivotal connections of the cover plates to said pivot bars. Each of the cover plates is provided with crank means engageable with the guards to cause the cover plates to move between their operative and retracted positions upon such movement of the pivot bars with respect to said pair of plates.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an end elevation of a razor embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end elevation of the razor shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

3,382,576 Patented May 14, 1968 FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1; 3

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modified form of the invention.

As shown, my razor comprises an elongated handle 10 fixedly connected at its upper end to a pair of rectangular vertically spaced plates 12 and 14 having slightly arcuate cross-sections. A pair of elongated guards 18 are slidably carried between the plates 12 and 14 and project laterally outwardly from between said plates to support the cutting edges of a conventional razor blade 20 carried on the plate 12 with its cutting edges projecting beyond the longitudinal edges of said plate. The guards project longitudinally beyond the plates 12 and 14, and, as shown in FIG. 3, have their outer longitudinal edges rounded and their outer faces shouldered, as at 21. The upper and lower faces of the guards 18 are disposed in sliding engagement with the lower and upper faces -of the plates 12 and 14, respectively. Conveniently, a plurality of keys 22 are formed on the lower faces of the guards and are received in slightly longer keyways 24 formed in the plate 14 for guiding and limiting the sliding movements of guards with respect to the plates 12 and 14.

In order to move the guards laterally inwardly and outwardly, each guard is connected, along its inner edge, to an arcuate strip 26 of spring steel projecting downwardly through a slot 28 formed in the plate 14. The lower ends of the strips 26 are connected to a sleeve 30 vertically slidable along the outer circumference of the handle 10. A circumferential groove 32 is formed in the sleeve 30 to receive the inwardly projecting finger 33 on a collar 34 threadably connected to a threaded section 35 of the outer handle face. Thus, rotation of the collar 34 to move the sleeve 30 upwardly on the handle will cause the strips 26 to move the guards 18 outwardly with respect to the plates 12 and 14 to thus reduce the amount of the blade cutting edges that are exposed. Conversely, rotation of the collar 34 to move the sleeve downwardly will cause the strips 26 to move the guards 18 inwardly to increase the exposure of the cutting edges of the blade. During any such adjusting movements, the guards will be guided by the keys and keyways 22 and 24 and by the strips 26 moving the slots 28.

Desirably, in order to prevent any rotation of the collar 34 from being transmitted through the sleeve 30 to the strips 26, said sleeve and the handle are provided with mating flattened faces to thus prevent the sleeve from rotating about said handle. The lateral displacement of the guards with respect to the plates 12 and 14 is measurable by circumferentially spaced indicia 37 on the outer face of the collar 34 which register with a reference point 38 on the handle immediately below saidcollar.

The handle is provided with an axially extending opening 39 in which an elongated rod 40 is rotatably carried. Said rod is threadably connected, as at 41, to an adjustment knob 42, rotatably mounted on the lower end of the handle 10, whereby rotation of said knob will cause the rod 40 to move vertically with respect to the handle. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper end of the rod 40 is provided with an annular groove 43 in which inwardly directed flanges 44 on a pair of opposed mating clamps 45 are received. Said clamps project upwardly from the rod 40 on opposite sides of a blade guide 46 and are fixedly connected to said guide by a pin 48. As shown in FIG. 3, the plate 12 is provided with an opening 49 for reception of the clamps 45, and the guide 46 projects upwardly above said plate and extends longitudinally thereof for reception in the central slot of the blade 20 for locating said blade on the plate.

A pair of downwardly projecting arms 50 at the ends of the guide are slidably carried in slots 51 in plates 12 and 14 and are connected to a pair of pivot bars 54 disposed outwardly from the ends of said plates. Each of the bars 54 is connected by pins 56 to the adjacent ends of a pair of opposed cover plates 58. As shown in FIG. 4, the cover plates are provided at their opposed ends with downwardly projecting cranks; each. comprising a vertical arm 59 through which one of the pins 56 extends and an outwardly projecting horizontal arm 60 receivable under an adjacent guard 18. Thus, rotation of the knob 42 to move the rod 40 downwardly as viewed in FIG. 3 causes the guide 46 and pivot bars 54 to move downwardly pulling the cover plates 58 downwardly into an operative position against blade 20 for retaining said blade in a fixed position against plate 12. In this operative position, the adjacent ends of cover plates 58 will be disposed around the guide 46 projecting upwardly through the central blade opening. Rotation of the knob 42 to move the guide 46 and pivot bars 54 upwardly as viewed in FIG. 3 raises the pivot pins 56 in a like direction to cause the crank arms 60 to engage the guards 18. With the crank arms 60 engaging the guards 18, further upward movement of the pivot bars will cause the cover plates 58 to swing upwardly and outwardly into their retracted positions as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 to permit removal of the blade 20 and/or cleaning of the razor.

To insert a new blade into the razor, it is merely necessary to move the cover plates 58 into their retracted position and lay a new blade on the plate 12 with the guide 46 projecting through the central blade opening. The knob 42 is then rotated to pull the guide 46 and pivot bars 54 downwardly whereupon the crank arms 60 engage the guards 18 to swing the cover plates inwardly over the blade. Further downward movement of the pivot bars 54 pulls said cover plates downwardly into binding engagement with the upper blade face for releasably locking it in position on the plate 12. Any desired adjustment of the blade edge exposure can then be effected by merely rotating the collar 34.

The embodiment of my invention shown in FIG. 6 differs from the emobdiment shown in FIGS. 1-5 only in the method of releasably locking the blade in the razor. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, the handle 10' is con nected at its upper end to the vertically spaced plates 12 and 14. The pair of guards 18' are slidably carried between said plates and project laterally outwardly between their opposed lateral edges for supporting the cut ting edges of the blade 20 supported on the plate 12'. The guards 18' are connected by flexible strips 26 projecting through openings 28 in the plate 14' for connection to a sleeve 30 vertically slidable on the handle 10. Vertical movement of the sleeve is effected by the collar 34' threadably connected to the handle and provided with a lip 33 received in a groove 32 extending around said sleeve.

In order to retain the blade 20 on the plate 12' a cap 64 having the same curvature as said plate is received thereover. A threaded stud 65 for locating the blade in the razor and connecting the cap 64 to the razor is provided on said cap. Said stud projects downwardly through the central opening in the blade and is received in a threaded socket 66 rotatably carried in the upper end of the handle 10'. The socket 66 is connected to a rod 68 carried in an axially extending opening 70 in the handle 10'. The lower end of the rod is connected to a knob 72 rotatably carried at the lower end of the handle.

Thus, to put a blade in the razor, said blade is placed on the plate 12 and the cap 64 is placed over said blade with its stud projecting through the central blade opening for reception in the socket 66. The knob 72 is then rotated to rotate the rod 68. As said rod is rotated, it will remain in a fixed axial position in the shaft, but its rotation will cause the socket 66 to draw the stud and thus the cap 64 downwardly so that said cap will bind against the blade and releasably lock it in position on the plate 12'. The cap can be removed for removing the blade by merely reversing this sequence. With the blade in position on the plate 12' any desired adjustment of the blade edge exposure can be effected by merely rotating the collar 34' in the manner described in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5.

I claim:

1. A safety razor, comprising a handle, a pair of vertically spaced plates fixedly connected to said handle, a pair of guards slidably interposed between said pair of plates, adjustment means movable axially along said handle, flexible connector means interconnecting said guards and adjustment means for simultaneously moving said guards laterally outwardly or inwardly along a pair of opposed sides of said pair of plates upon axial movement of said adjustment means along the handle, means on said guards and at least one of said plates for guiding the lateral movements of said guards, and means releasably retaining a blade on the upper one of said pair of plates with its cutting edges overlying said pair of guards.

2. A safety razor as set forth in claim 1 in which said adjustment means comprises a sleeve connected to said connector means and axially slidable along said handle, and a collar rotatably connected to said sleeve and threadably carried on said handle whereby rotation of said collar will move said sleeve axially along said handle.

3. A safety razor as set forth in claim 1 in which said connector means comprises a pair of arcuate strips connected to said guards and projecting through openings in the lower one of said pair of plates and connected to said adjustment means.

4. A safety razor, comprising a handle, a pair of vertically spaced plates fixedly connected to said handle, a pair of guards slidably interposed between said pair of plates, adjustment means axially movable along said handle, flexible connector means interconnecting said guards and adjustment means for simultaneously moving said guards laterally outwardly or inwardly along a pair of opposed sides of said pair of plates upon axial movement of said adjustment means along the handle, means on said guards and at least one of said plates for guiding the lateral movements of said guards, and means releasably retaining a blade on the upper one of said pair of plates with its cutting edges overlying said guards comprising a blade guide operatively connected to said handle and movable with respect to said pair of plates, a pair of pivot bars connected to said blade guide for movement therewith, a pair of cover plates pivotally connected to said pivot bars and engageable with said pair of guards upon movement of said blade guide between an operative position overlying said upper plate and a retracted position angled outwardly from said upper plate, and means for moving said blade guide with respect to said upper p ate.

5. A safety razor as set forth in claim 4 in which said means for moving the blade guide comprises a rod connected to the blade guide and movable in said handle.

6. A safety razor, comprising a handle, upper and lower plates fixedly mounted on said handle at the upper end thereof, a pair of guards slidably carried between said plates along a pair of opposed longitudinal edges thereof, a pair of opposed arcuate flexible strips connected to said guards and projecting through openings in said lower plate, adjustment means movable axially of said handle and connected to said pair of strips whereby upon axial movement of said adjustment means said strips will cause said guards to move simultaneously laterally inwardly 5 or outwardly with respect to said longitudinal blade edges, means for guiding the lateral movements of said guards, and means fer releasably retaining a blade on said upper plate with its cutting edges overlying said pair of guards.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 871,152 11/1907 Tittmann 3079 938,396 10/1909 Nahm 30-71 952,837 3/1910 Nahemow 3072 10 Gaisman 3071 Stewart 30-71 Anastasia 30 60.5 Liberatore 3060.5 Narizzano 30--60.5 Muros 3060.5

MYRON C. KRUSE, Primary Examiner. WILLIAM FELDMAN, Examiner. 

